Ian Bell ended his century drought in style after Gary Ballance made his Test-best score as England piled on the runs against India in the third Test at Southampton on Monday.
Bell made 167 and Ballance 156 before Test debutant Jos Buttler rode his luck to make 85 as England captain Alastair Cook declared on 569 for seven.
India then saw struggling opener Shikhar Dhawan caught by Cook at first slip off James Anderson for six.
However, Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara survived until stumps, with India 25 for one at the close on the second day – a deficit of 544 runs.
Bell’s hundred was his 21st Test century, but his first in 20 innings.
The batsman, 32, also cracked the top 10 of England’s all-time leading Test run-scorers with 7,068 runs in 103 matches.
“Individual achievements are nice, but the important thing is we do well as a team,” Bell told Sky Sports.
“The more I score, the more it will help.”
Bell’s innings meant both of England’s senior batsmen ended long sequences of modest scores, following captain Alastair Cook’s 95 on Sunday.
England, 1-0 down in the five-match series and without a win in their previous 10 Tests, resumed Monday on 247 for two.
Zimbabwe-born left-hander Ballance was 104 not out – his third hundred in six Tests. India, without the injured Ishant Sharma – the seven-wicket hero of their 95-run win in the second Test at Lord’s – continued to struggle for penetration.
Ballance was out soon after reaching his 150 in 278 balls with 23 fours.
He was caught behind off the gentle spin of Rohit Sharma.
Bell, after England lost Joe Root and Moeen Ali cheaply early in the second session, reached his hundred in style by driving left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja for a six.
He then looked skyward in tribute to his late grandfather, who died recently.
“My grandad took me to cricket games when I was young and that one is for him,” Bell said.
Bell scored 20 runs in four successive Jadeja deliveries, with the straight six followed by a cover drive for four, before another straight six and a cut four completed the over.
Bell eventually holed out off Kumar, having batted for nearly six hours, facing 256 balls with 19 fours and three sixes.
Buttler, playing for the injured Matt Prior, was fortunate not to start his Test career with a duck after edging Bhuvneshwar Kumar low toward Ajinkya Rahane, who appeared to hold a catch at second slip.
However, on-field umpires Marais Erasmus and Rod Tucker referred the decision to television umpire Rob Bailey, the former England batsman.
Replays clouded the issue and Buttler survived.
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